This invention relates to bearings. More particularly, this invention is a combination of elements including a sensor to monitor conditions within the bearing and to transmit the information outside of the bearing housing.
There are numerous bearing applications where the bearing is mounted in a housing that denies access to the bearing by servicing personnel. There are bearing performance characteristics that are best measured from inside the bearing for a number of different reasons. For instance, temperature-measurement devices are more responsive the closer they are to the source of heat generation. Vibration monitors are less affected by noise if they are installed inside the bearing. In using both of these types of sensors, a more reliable measurement is obtained if the sensor is permanently mounted within the bearing eliminating installation differences and misapplication of the sensor.
Furthermore, in applications where the bearing is transferred to a number of different locations during its life, the ability to maintain the historical data pertaining to an individual bearing is of great advantage in diagnosing bearing conditions.
While better measurements are obtained from within the bearing, the information must be made available to the personnel responsible for servicing the bearing for this information to be useful in diagnosing problems occurring in the bearing and surrounding equipment. Therefore, only if a method can be devised to relay this information out of the bearing will a measurement taken inside the bearing be of value.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present devices and methods. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.